Something There
by Miss. Serendipity
Summary: Bound in a marriage of convenience, Hermione and Draco Malfoy have turned into the Wizarding World's power couple. Now, invited back to Hogwarts to be professors, can a familiar setting surface feelings they thought were only for pretend?
1. Meeting the Malfoys

_**AN: Hey all! I edited it! New and improved Chapter uno! I hope you guys like it as much as I do. **____** ENJOY!**_

_**Date edited: August 6, 2010**_

Chapter – Meeting the Malfoys

Hermione Malfoy was used to waking up to an empty bed.

During the first few weeks, she usually questioned it, but always found her husband already in the kitchen, newspaper in hand and coffee in the other. Her husband always was an early riser, so this morning didn't come as much of a surprise.

She walked to her dresser and pulled out a silk green house robe that her husband talked her into getting.

Hermione smiled.

Perhaps this would appear endearing to someone. A knowing smile and a shared secret between a husband and wife. This however, was merely a smile of amusement on Hermione's part.

Draco's been in a real foul mood the day he got her this, and he made it a point to pass by Deirdre's Dress Emporium as quickly as possible to get Hermione what she wanted so that they could go home.

To tell the truth, the Malfoys felt no intimate affection towards each other, and Hermione was fine with that.

Their marriage was a business agreement.

The war left behind a black scar on the wizarding world, leaving the gap between purebloods and muggle-borns deeper and wider then ever, and so, the Ministry decided that desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Why not bind two of the most influential people together?" Was their bright idea, and that, my dear friends, is how the Malfoy-Granger marriage scandal had started.

Of course, nobody knew this was all a charade, especially since Lucius Malfoy,

Ex-death eater, announced the engagement himself in front of a swarm of news reporters and people who just happened to be in the vicinity at that particular time.

Hermione definitely wasn't happy with that, and made it a point to show her unease. Lucius however just patted Hermione on the head like a little girl and asked her (very politely) to make him some tea.

Things turned out rather swimmingly after the first few months. Draco and Hermione didn't kill each other for starters. Hermione's relationship with her in-laws improved. She would make Lucius his tea every morning and every night because no one else knew how he liked it (The elves always put one too many sugar cubes.) And during the afternoons, she would have lunch with Narcissa on the terrace, listening to the woman rave on and on about how horrible Rita Skeeter was and how she was inviting her for tea the next day.

The Malfoy Manor definitely lost its 'gloom and doom' aura after an added few weeks of tireless renovation by our favorite Gryffindor. All the drab grey and green curtains were replaced with stunning gold and crimson ones, always pulled back to let the light stream down the marble corridors.

Quite an amount of black has been taken out, replaced by creams and whites, with the occasional green (for the Malfoy's sake.)

Of course, it took some time getting used to being polite to the house elves and all the sunshine in the Manor, but it sure brightened up Lucius' disposition, which was always a plus in Narcissa and Draco's book.

Now, a year later, things were neutral. Draco and Hermione learned to get along for his parents' sake and for the people who think they're deeply in love with one another. At least when they're around said people.

Hermione tied the sash of the robe and walked down the polished steps of the Malfoy Manor.

Her hair was still frazzled from sleep, and she was in dire need of a cup of coffee.

"Tinky!" She called, and a small thin creature appeared in front of her in an instant.

"How may Tinky serve you's missus?" Hermione bent down to Tinky's height and smiled softly.

"Do you happen to know where Draco is, Tinky?" Hermione asked kindly, attempting to flatten down her hair.

"The young master? Oh yes! Tinky's seen him! Tinky's serves him his coffee this mornings, missus. I thinks the masters in the gardens with his parents, missus. Yes, Tinky thinks he says that." Tinky said eagerly, hands fiddling with the bottom of her red shirt Hermione most graciously gave her.

"Thank-you, Tinky, you can go back to work now." Hermione said with a smile, watching Tinky bow before disappearing with another _crack_. Hermione sighed and once more, attempted to calm her mane before heading to the gardens for some breakfast.

It didn't take too long to reach the Malfoy Gardens. It was always Narcissa's favorite spot, and Lucius went wherever Narcissa went.

"Hermione, darling! How nice of you to join us!" Narcissa smiled, offering her a chair beside her. Hermione smiled back and bit back a yawn.

"Good morning Narcissa, Lucius, Draco." She said to each one of them, helping herself to some toast and orange marmalade.

"Hermione, I'm to inform you that seeing as how you _weren't_ awake to make me my tea, I made it myself… although it tasted rather ghastly to be honest." Lucius commented, putting down the cup for Hermione to observe. Hermione looked at the cup and back to Lucius in amusement.

"Well, I believe it would taste better if you took out the plastic before putting in the tea bag, Lucius." Lucius scrunched up his face in mild annoyance.

"Honestly, it's not a wonder why you do it for me. I am absolutely hopeless in these odd muggle inventions of yours." Lucius said in a clipped tone, taking a bite out of his pear. Hermione bit her lip to stop her from smiling. She took out her wand from her pocket and made a few quick flicks in the air, making Lucius a brand new cup, stirring it diligently before adding the tea-leaves and sugar cubes, handing it to Lucius with a grin.

"There you go, Lucius." She said. Lucius looked at it for a while, as if debating whether or not to sacrifice his pride or give in to having his tea. Apparently, his craving for tea won, seeing as how he picked up the cup hurriedly, shot Hermione a curt 'Thank-you' and left with the excuse of having to check on his snapping geraniums.

Narcissa smiled at her husband, then looked back to the now silent couple. She smiled fondly, noticing how annoyingly civil they were being to one another.

"Please pass the jam, Draco."

"Of course, Hermione."

"Thank you, Draco."

Narcissa wanted to just permanently glue them together in hopes of them to maybe fall in love. But alas, stories like that only happen in fairy tale books… or at least, that's what Hermione told her. Narcissa never read a muggle story in her life.

"Well, my dears, I'll just go check on your father and make sure he hasn't destroyed any of my daffodils." Narcissa said, with a not so subtle wink of farewell to Draco.

Another silence ensued after. Hermione risked a quick glance towards her husband, and couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled out of her mouth. Draco looked at her in curiosity and slight annoyance, touching his face in mild insecurity.

"What is it?" He demanded lightly, fingering his cheek as if to remove something. Hermione stood up and put a hand on her hip, pointing to his messy hair.

"It's probably just as horrid as mine." She commented. Draco's eyes widened at the comparison and quickly looked at his reflection on a nearby window. His shoulders slackened when he arrived at the conclusion that Hermione was, by far, exaggerating.

"That's impossible, Granger, for your hair is pretty hard to beat in the 'horrid' category." He said calmly, sipping from his tea. Hermione however wasn't fazed, but just smiled in response. She was used to their light banter… sometimes, in her utmost boredom, she fed off of it. Draco was her companion. Sometimes even a friend, if you wanted to go through technical terms.

Another silence occurred after Hermione sat back down, nibbling on her toast. Draco noticed her lack of eating and frowned in what some would count as concern, putting the last of his apples on her plate.

"It's not healthy to not eat anything it the morning, Granger." He said, not looking at her, but at the grapefruit he was now eating.

"Concerned for me, are you, Malfoy?" Hermione teased. Draco, however did not respond, but continued to eat his grapefruit. Hermione looked at the green apple in front of her and smiled softly. She knew how much Draco enjoyed these kinds of apples. She subtly glanced at him, to find him looking at the apple longingly.

"Why don't we split this one, Malfoy? I was thinking more of a banana for today." She said, and with her wand, sliced the apple in two, passing one half to Draco. Draco looked at the half-apple with wide eyes. He looked at his wife in mild shock, but only found her eating her banana, a small smile gracing her lips.

Draco couldn't help the small smile making it's way to his lips, as well. He took the apple and started eating.

"Thank-you, Hermione." He said. Hermione looked at him and smiled.

"You're welcome, Draco."

**(Insert break line here)**

"Cissy, I- uh.. The geraniums are well in order." Lucius said, straightening from his crouched position behind the rose bush.

"Oh, hush, Lucius, and hide yourself before they see you." Narcissa said, attempting to shield her more from the couple they were spying on. A grin formed on her face, followed by a soft squeal of delight.

"Oh look, Lou, I told you they would learn to get along." Narcissa said, hoping to catch more. Lucius tried to retain the passive expression on his face, but couldn't help but smile at Hermione's gesture of kindness.

"Yes, I daresay you were right." He murmured. And suddenly, a full-blown smile appeared on his face. "I daresay, you were right." He repeated, before straightening up and offering his hand to his wife.

"Why don't we go for a walk, Cissy? I hear the Wisterias are growing rather beautifully." He said. Narcissa looked at her husband in confusion before smiling and accepting his hand.

"You've changed, Lucius. For the better, of course." Narcissa observed. Lucius smiled and nodded.

"Once again, m'dear, you are right." He said, continuing their walk around the garden.

**AN: I'm finished with the first chapter! I don't know about you guys, but I think this one was much better then my old one. But you guys are the ones to judge that! If you want to ask me some questions, go see my tumblr and ask me in my ask box! OR FOLLOW ME. :)) **

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**I hope you guys enjoyed!**


	2. Diagon Alley

Chapter 2- Diagon Alley

"I was actually thinking of buying a few more books today." Hermione said innocently, looking at her half-eaten banana in sudden interest. Draco groaned in annoyance.

"Granger, we have a whole library full of books, must you choose to venture to Diagon Alley with full awareness that people would mob us there?" Draco said, gesturing everywhere to prove his point.

"You're, once again, exaggerating, Malfoy. I just need a few books that I am pretty sure your library does not have. " Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone. Draco scowled, expecting that she was right. She had that annoying habit of being right.

"Plus. I'm pretty sure you'd want to buy something as well." She said, specifically referring to the new Quidditch store his friend, Blaise Zabini opened up. Draco cursed and grabbed Hermione by the arm, dragging her inside the Manor and up the stairs.

"I completely forgot about Blaise' opening. Bloody hell, we have to be there in 15 minutes." Draco muttered, looking at his watch as he raced to the bathroom.

"Hurry up, Granger, or he'll have my head… and yours." Hermione chuckled as she heard a loud _bang _come from the bathroom, and a string of curse words emit from only one person in there. Guessing Draco hit himself in his rush, Hermione knocked on he bathroom door in amusement.

"You alright, Draco?" She asked, muffling a laugh.

"Oh, go change." She heard him say angrily, followed by another curse filled sentence. Hermione laughed and made her way to the other bathroom adjacent their guest room.

In the end, Hermione finished before Draco, deciding on a simple maroon robe that Narcissa bought for her as a gift. She pulled her chestnut colored locks in a ponytail, and attached a clip to keep the stray hairs from falling in her face.

"Have you seen my cufflinks?" Draco asked, suddenly reappearing from their bathroom, hair still damp from his shower, resulting to the wet collar of his white button up shirt.

"Look with your eyes, Draco, not with your mouth." Hermione said, spotting the silver cufflinks on his bedside table, making a move to pick them up, but in the event wherein Draco decided to pick them up as well, causing their hands to brush against each other for the quickest of moments.

Hermione couldn't deny that she had felt a shock when she touched him, and it wasn't only for this time. For the past months, she'd always find herself blushing whenever he gave her a compliment, or feel anger/resentment towards him for some reason whenever he'd talk to another witch.

Draco cleared his throat, picking up his cufflinks and putting them on in haste.

"We better get going, we'll just apparate there once we reach the outside of the manor." He said, picking up his wand, and putting on his coat. Hermione nodded and followed his actions, wounding the scarf securely around her neck.

Without warning, Draco took her hand in his and walked out of the room and to the den, where Lucius and Narcissa were sitting.

"Mother, Father, we'll be leaving now." Draco stated, hand still holding Hermione's. Lucius raised his eyebrow at their interlaced fingers, but nodded. Narcissa however was ecstatic at this new sign of affection and told them to hurry along.

Hermione couldn't stop the warmth crawling up her neck, and was silently thanking Merlin that it was cold, giving her the excuse to wear her scarf to hide her already pink cheeks.

"What was the shop called again?" Draco asked, walking towards their apparition point. Hermione looked at him with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"He's _your_ best-friend, Draco. I'm pretty sure you'd remember." Hermione mused. Draco scowled.

"It has momentarily slipped my mind." He said. Hermione laughed, causing Draco's features to soften. Why? He didn't know himself. Her laugh was comforting in a way. Maybe it was the way her nose crinkled, or how her head tilted back ever so slightly.

"Draco?" Draco snapped out of his thoughts and back to Hermione.

"Yes?" He answered impatiently.

"I said it was _Zabini's Flying Fancies. _Quite a name, don't you think?" Hermione commented. Draco snorted, still holding Hermione's hand.

"Get ready." He said, and soon, they were gone with a loud _crack_.

They reached Diagon Alley, fingers still intertwined. Draco pulled Hermione through the streets of Diagon Alley gently, not looking at the people staring blatantly at them.

"It was Pansy who picked it out. She absolutely hated the name: "_Zabini's Quidditch Quandary" _and _"Flight for the Flightless" _so, she gave him a name she found suitable. Of course, Blaise hated it, but couldn't say a thing about it to his wife." Hermione chuckled, remembering how angry Pansy was when she came over.

"Yes, I do remember Pansy raving about the atrocity of Blaise' shop names." Hermione said laughingly. Draco grinned at her, and soon, after several minutes of walking past photographers and people wishing to stop and talk, they reached _Zabini's Flying Fancies_.

"Hermione! Draco! So glad you could make it!" A woman with dark shoulder length hair came out from the shop, smiling and waving at the two new comers.

"Of course we'd come, Pansy. We wouldn't miss it for the world." Hermione said, looking pointedly at Draco. Draco just nodded stiffly and looked around.

"Where's that husband of yours?" He asked with a smirk. "Already prying his precious belongings away from customers?" Draco joked. Pansy laughed and pointed to the stock room.

"Just fixing up a few things. I am so glad you two could make it. It's been so hectic helping Blaise fix up this bloody shop. I didn't even think people would actually go! Apparently I was wrong. This shop is literally bursting." Pansy said, gesturing to all the people in there.

"Good business. What can you do when the owner is this good looking?" A deep voice said from behind them. Blaise smirked as he hugged his wife from behind, encircling his arms around her waist. Hermione smiled, but couldn't help the envy rising inside of her. She looked at Draco and suddenly felt…

"So Blaise, how are you going to manage this shop and _still _be an Auror?" Hermione asked in curiosity. Blaise grinned and jerked his head to a young man managing the counter.

"See him? That's Roobin Robinson. He manages the shop. I'll technically just fix up the paper works and what not while he does most of the work." Blaise said nonchalantly. Hermione raised a brow at this statement but shook it off.

_Slytherins._

"What about you two? How's the vacation treating you?" Blaise asked. Draco groaned in frustration.

"More like a prison. I can't believe Shacklebolt is having us take a yearlong break _just _because of one accident. I'm fine now!" Draco complained while Hermione just kept silent.

They were both Aurors, yet were now 'taking a break' because of what happened to Draco after a certain raid.

_(Flashback)_

"_Draco, what are you doing? Get out of there!" Hermione hissed. Draco however didn't seem to hear her._

"_Draco, the place is going to crumble any minute!" Hermione said, panic suddenly rising in her chest. _

"_Hold on, I'm almost finished." Draco said, performing spell after spell on the place. Hermione looked up at the cracking ceiling, then to her retreating team. She couldn't leave him. _

_To her relief, Draco came back, but not the Draco she knew. He was cursed, and didn't know where he was, or who he was. Hermione brought him to St. Mungos, where he was treated. Apparently, he tried performing a counter spell on one of the objects in the Manor, but failed to see that the object was cursed before he touched it. _

_3 days in the recovery room. Hermione was beside him, berating him for his stupidity when she got the chance to catch him awake_.

"_You stubborn ferret! Why couldn't you have just listened to me?" She said, through a choked back sob. _

"_Idiot! You stubborn twat!" Hermione said, harshly wiping away a tear. _

"_We get it, Granger. No need to cry about it." Draco said, his tone soft and mildly amused. _

"_Of course it is, Draco! It could have been much worse! You could have gotten hurt! You idiot!" Hermione said, slapping him on the arm. Draco was silent, but looked at her and nodded as if he understood. _

"_Kingsley said we'd have to take a year off. Said that we should just take a break for while." Hermione said softly. Draco's head snapped back to her. _

"_What?" He said in surprise. "A year? But I'm fine now!" He protested. _

"_Yes, Draco, I know, but those were Kingsley's orders. It's just a year. He said there wasn't anything we had to do anyways seeing as how we already raided the last of the death-eater's head quarters." Hermione tried to reason. Draco however just fell silent. _

"_I don't want you to get hurt again, Draco." She muttered. _

"_Yes… I daresay the feeling's mutual." He said. _

_(End of Flashback)_

"It's only been a month, Draco." Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "There hasn't even been a mission. Plus, you got poor Hermione to look after you when she could be out there fighting baddies." Pansy joked. Hermione smiled at the comment.

"I don't mind." She said, tightening her grip on Draco's hand. Blaise and Pansy smiled at the couple. They, as well as all the other people in the wizarding world, fell for their fake intimacy.

"So, heard from the Potters yet?" Pansy said, sneering at the name. Hermione froze at the sound and looked down.

"Potter's been pestering me about how I shouldn't be opening a business when I'm an Auror." Blaise said, straightening a quaffle on a nearby shelf. Draco frowned in disapprovement.

"Don't mind him, Blaise." Draco said, looking at Hermione for her reaction. She however remained stoic in expression.

"Listen, I promised Hermione to pass by Flourish and Blotts on the way home, so I think it's time we go." Draco said, shaking Blaise' hand and pecking Pansy on the cheek. Hermione smiled at the both of them, giving Pansy a quick hug before following Draco's lead out the shop.

They walked in silence for a while before Hermione spoke.

"I'd actually prefer home, Malfoy." She said softly. Draco nodded, and in a moment, they apparated back to the Manor.

They hung their coats and scarves once they arrived. Draco looked at Hermione in caution, searching her face for any sign of anger or resentment.

"It's alright to hate them, Granger, you know that." Draco said. Hermione smiled and looked at him.

"I understand why they're mad at me, Draco." She said lightly.

"Well, I don't. If you ask me, I think they're being down-right gits." Draco said pompously. Hermione laughed softly and shook her head. Draco's features softened at his wife's sad expression, and suddenly felt a rush of anger towards the Potters and Weasleys.

"You're my husband. You're supposed to tell me that, even if you are… you." She said quietly. Draco looked at her with a blank expression and nodded. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't know. Did she think that the only reason why he was defending her was because he _had _to?

A small _pop_ sounded from the silence. Hermione turned to the small elf she recognized as Minty.

"Master! Mistress! You have been summoned to the parlors, older Masters told Minty. Told Minty to retrieve both of yous, he says." Minty said. Hermione looked at Draco and took his hand once again.

"We're being called, Draco." She said, and turned to thank Minty, however she was too late, seeing as how he already disappeared.

They reached the parlor, unaware of who'd be visiting them.

"Ah, there you are. Look who decided to drop by." Narcissa said, a smile gracing her features as she gestured to a woman seated beside her.

The woman smiled kindly and nodded at the couple in greeting.

"It's been a while, Hermione. Draco."

**AN: OKAY! Haha, to all my old readers, I bet you know who this is. :)) But to my new readers, lets see who can guess who this is. ;) **

**Well, here's the edited version of Chapter 2. The first two chapters are actually brand new! ****I hope you guys enjoyed this, and please drop me a review, or even PM me! **

**I actually wanted to incorporate Blaise and Pansy in my story as good guys because I missed that chance the first time round, so there you go! Okay, even if this is an edited version, there are still grammatical errors. I NEED A BETA. **** Hint. Hint. **

**And if you have any questions whatsoever, you know where to go! **

**www (dot) wandlessmagic (dot) tumblr (dot) com / ask**


	3. Of Teas and Letters

Chapter 3 – Of Teas and Letters

Perhaps the shock didn't sink in yet. Hermione definitely didn't feel it sink in. To say it's been a while would be an understatement seeing as how it's been at least 3 years since their last encounter.

"My, have I rendered both of them speechless?" The woman asked in amusement, graciously taking the cup of tea offered to her by a nearby house-elf, who disappeared in a matter of seconds with a soft _pop_.

"I-It's a pleasant surprise to see you, Professor McGonagall." Hermione said, sitting down slowly on a couch across the headmistress.

Minerva smiled and nodded her head.

"Yes, unfortunately I wasn't able to congratulate you on your marriage, Miss. Granger. Or should I say, Mrs. Malfoy." She said, chuckling softly at what she thought was her own personal joke.

"Yes… it was a rather quiet wedding." Hermione said with a blush. McGonagall nodded and smirked.

"Don't think I'm being kept in the dark, Ms. Granger. I am perfectly aware of your situation be it not for the fact that I was the one who recommended the both of you to the Ministry." Minerva said solemnly. Hermione looked at her in surprise, as well as Draco.

"And I am well educated when it comes to false intimacy as well." She said, before taking a sip of her tea. Hermione let out a sigh and released Draco's hand.

"You were the one who recommended us, Professor?" Draco inquired, not at all mad, however to his surprise.

"Yes, I was the one. I hope you don't hold any resentment towards me though." She said, however as if with the tone that she couldn't care less whether they did or did not.

"No, of course not, Professor." Hermione replied, knowing she could never hold a petty grudge towards the woman who taught her almost everything she knew.

"I am grateful for that statement, Ms. Granger. However retrieving your forgiveness was not the reason I passed by." She said, putting down the cup. Hermione raised a brow at the statement.

"I came here to ask you two a favor." Draco's eyebrows shot up in surprise. A favor, she says?

"And what might that favor be, Professor?" Draco asked. Professor McGonagall grinned and handed both of them a yellow envelope with the Hogwarts crest on it.

"Unlike Albus, I come off differently when I ask someone to consider a job position in Hogwarts." McGonagall said. Hermione and Draco looked at the envelopes in surprise.

"Well, go on. Open it." Narcissa urged, wanting to know the content of the yellow paper.

The two of them nodded and opened their individual envelopes slowly.

_Dear Mr./Mrs. Malfoy, _

_I, along with the rest of the Hogwarts staff wish for you to consider the position of being the new Defense against the Dark arts teacher. We know what you two are capable of and would consider it the greatest pleasure for you to return to Hogwarts to bestow your knowledge upon the students. _

_Best wishes,_

_Head mistress _

_Minerva McGonagall_

Minerva sighed in content after hearing Hermione and Draco read their letters out loud.

"Short, sweet, and straight to the point." McGonagall commented. "Albus used to prefer the lengthy letters." She added, looking conversationally at Narcissa. She then turned to the now silent couple, who seemed to have reread the letter about 7 more times.

"I trust you two have your answer?" She spoke, straightening her pointed hat.

"But Professor… what happened to the old DADA teacher?" Draco asked, folding his letter back up.

"The former _Defense Against the Dark Arts_ teacher," Minerva emphasized, never liking students who short cut the name. "Retired just this year. Off somewhere in Wizarding Mexico." McGonagall frowned in disapprovement.

"But that has nothing to do with us for he is no longer part of this. Now, your answers?" Minerva insisted. Draco looked at Hermione questioningly.

"Well? What are your thoughts on this?" Hermione asked. Draco however looked back to his former Professor.

"They'll do it." Lucius said in finality. "Believe me, Draco's been whining about something to do the past month. This will be a good way to quench his boredom." Lucius commented imperturbably. Draco scowled at his father's blatant profession of his (Draco's) monotony.

"But Lucius, Draco and I would be in Hogwarts for the duration of the year." Hermione said, hoping that he'll buy it.

"Hermione, we're wizards. It's not as if we can't walk or go to the bathroom on our own. I haven't even a single white hair yet." There was a silence. "Well, that may be a lie, but nevertheless, you get my point." He said, his head held high. Hermione sighed.

"Alright, Professor. When would you like us to come in?" Hermione asked. Minerva cracked a smile.

"When the students arrive. You'll be accompanying them on the train." Minerva informed them.

"If you'd like to bring your own materials, you may as well do so." She said, standing up with a swish of her black robes. "And in behalf of the Hogwarts Staff, I thank you for accepting this." Minerva said, before disappearing with a loud crack.

Narcissa exhaled loudly, leaning back against the chair.

"That woman really has presence." Narcissa commented. "She said you'd be arriving alongside the students, did she not? That's the first of September! Oh dear, that's in a week. Oh, how reminiscent. It's as if they're going to Hogwarts once again."

"They are, dear."

"Well, I meant as student, Lou."

Hermione tuned out for a while, standing up slowly. Draco stood up as well, putting his hand on the small of her back to steady her.

"Well, we better start packing. We'll see you for dinner." He said, nodding his head before guiding his wife upstairs.

"You alright?" He asked, not looking at her. Hermione nodded.

"Quite." Hermione said curtly, and turned to Draco with a weak smile. "Today was just busy. That's all, Draco." Hermione reassured. Draco nodded and turned away, not wanting to show Hermione the heat spreading across his face when she held his hand once again.

He was a Malfoy after all.

**AN: I'm seriously on a roll here. :)) This is definitely the shortest chapter I wrote though, and probably not the best. I hope you enjoy it anyway, it's where the story initially began. Haha. Well, don't forget to leave me some feedback, and how you'd want this story to turn out or… stuff. :")**

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**Miss. Serendipity**


	4. September 1

Chapter 4- September 1

Never did Hermione ever feel this jittery, with the exception of her wedding day. She lay down stiffly beside Draco, and turned around, her back facing him. She tried to calm herself, telling her sub-conscious that it was a new year. A new world.

I mean, she did marry Draco Malfoy after-all.

She smiled softly at this thought. She _married_ the last person she ever considered to marry. She gently pushed herself up, and turned to observe his slumbering form. He was much more likeable in his sleep. She stifled a smile at the thought of his reaction if she would tell him her observation.

Draco Malfoy, she had to admit, had grown on her.

Even with his smart-arse comments, or his horrid temper, he became more then a business agreement. 'Not that I would ever tell him that,' Hermione thought, turning away quickly, berating herself for her loose thinking.

She swung her legs to the other side of the bed slowly, careful not to wake Draco from his sleep. After successfully freeing herself from his grip, she tiptoed her way out the door, and walked down the stairs, heading to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

What she found however was something she wasn't expecting.

"Lucius?" Hermione asked incredulously. "What are you doing up so early in the morning?"

"Oh, Hermione. Just in time. I've been trying to make myself a cup of tea. With you being gone for most of the year, I've realized that I should learn how to brew my own cup, as to not hassle Cissy with my incessant cravings for earl gray." Lucius explained, sipping from the mug Hermione gave him for Christmas last year.

"I'm proud to say, I've gotten better at it. It now tastes more like tea, and not like hot water. Yet, in my perspective, tea usually _does _taste like hot water, which makes me wonder whether my first attempt was near perfect, if that's what tea is supposed to taste like." Lucius observed, putting down the mug, and straightening his white blonde hair with his hands.

"Now, with my explanation finished, I may ask you the same question, Hermione. You're not to leave in another 4 hours." Lucius said, yet seemed that he could not care less about her reasons for waking up at this ungodly hour.

"I just… came here to get an early breakfast." Hermione said. Lucius nodded in thought, taking another sip from his tea. "Draco's still asleep, so I thought—"

"Ah, yes. My dear, oblivious son." Lucius said. Hermione looked at her father-in- law with a raised brow.

"Please note, Hermione, that my son is slightly dim when it comes to women. Just forgive him when he does something dreadfully stupid." Lucius said. Hermione was stunned speechless by Lucius' statement. She didn't feel all that hungry anymore.

"I... I…"

"No need to speak, Hermione. I'm very much aware of your feelings for one another." Hermione snapped her head back to her father-in-law, ignoring the horrid whip-lash it gave her as a result.

"You've surely been mistaken, Lucius. Draco and I hold no romantic feelings for one another whatsoever, how could you possibly assume that—"

"I never said they were romantic." Lucius commented flippantly, covering up his smirk with his teacup. Hermione's face burned, before viciously biting her passion fruit to hide it.

She looked at the fruit contemplatively as another round of silence occurred. It was obvious Lucius meant for this to happen. Maybe to allow her to reflect on this newly found assumption that she held more than platonic feelings for the blonde ferret.

_That's absurd. I couldn't possibly want something more than a platonic marriage with him…_

She put down the fruit and sighed.

"I think I'll go upstairs, Lucius. Wake up Draco and all." Hermione said, standing up from her place in the stool.

"Do as you wish, Hermione." Lucius said, finishing his cup of tea. "Please inform Cissy that I'll be in the gardens till your departure." Lucius said, and without another word of farewell, left the brunette to do as she pleased.

Hermione walked up the marble steps of the Malfoy Manor in silence, her mind wandering off to the odd conversation she just shared with Lucius.

She opened the door to their (Her and Draco's) bedroom, and found her husband sprawled across his side of the bed, his arm around the pillow Hermione tucked beside him in her place. Hermione smiled gently and took out her wand, shrinking their trunks. She spared Draco one last look, before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

**(Insert Break-line here)**

Draco opened his eyes slowly, his hand reaching across him instinctively, only to feel the smooth fabric of Hermione's pillow. He groaned as he turned to check where she might be.

_Bloody Hell, what time is it?_

Draco checked the clock and threw himself out of bed.

"Merlin, we're going to miss the train…" Draco muttered, rushing to the bathroom.

**Locked.**

"Granger! Granger, hurry up!" Draco said, banging on the door. He heard the water turn off and a few mumbled curse words. Draco scowled and turned around childishly when the door opened, waiting for Hermione to tell him it was safe to look.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" Draco said with a frown. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and replaced the towel wrapped around her form with a bathrobe.

Draco raced into the bathroom and quickly took a shower, towel drying his hair viciously and clumsily putting on his forest green robe. He took a quick glance at his watch. 10:34 AM. He cursed and threw the towel, thinking it did all that it could do.

"Granger! We're surely going to miss the train at this rate." He said, flinging himself off the banister in record time. Hermione rolled her eyes and adjusted her hair, smoothing down her crimson red robe. Draco looked at her for a while and scoffed.

"Nice of you to show you're house spirit, Granger." He mused. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Speak for yourself, Draco." She said with a small smirk. She put on her hat and walked down the stairs calmly. Draco crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child. Hermione smiled in amusement.

"Someone's excited for their first day of school, I presume." Hermione teased, dutifully taking Draco's arm, as she restrained him from running. Draco scowled.

"I am _not _'excited'. I'm just trying to get there before the bloody train leaves without us." Hermione chuckled softly and cast Draco an amused glance.

"Well, before we leave, we need to pass by the gardens and say good-bye to Lucius and Narcissa. You know what they'd say if we didn't." Hermione reasoned. Draco groaned in frustration, before complying and heading towards the gardens.

**(Insert Break-line here)**

"Ah, there they are." Narcissa commented, having seen Hermione and Draco appear at the entrance of the terrace.

"We'll be leaving now Mother, Father. We'll owl you when we get there. See you both during Christmas." Draco said before pulling Hermione with him. Hermione shot Lucius and Narcissa an apologetic smile, before waving her farewell.

Narcissa smiled and turned to Lucius.

"Do you hear that, Lucius?" Narcissa asked. Lucius raised a brow and looked at his wife questioningly.

"Hear what, my dear?"

"The little pitter-patter of my future grand-children's feet."

**AN: That's chapter 4 for you. :D I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you leave me review or two. Sorry this took so long to post. They'll be in Hogwarts in the next chapter. So, look forward to that! **

**See you all when I see you! Thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it. **

**LOVES**

**Miss. Serendipity**


	5. The Run in

Chapter 5- The Run-in

They apparated in an unobtrusive alley way beside Kings-Cross Station. Hermione brushed the dust off of her robe, and proceeded to lightly dust Draco as well. Draco inhaled sharply as she dusted him off, her being completely unaware of their close proximity. Draco cleared his throat and stepped away.

Hermione looked at him in surprise, but shook it off, and straightened her hat. Draco offered his arm towards her, avoiding her gaze.

"Shall we?" He asked.

They must've looked odd in the eyes of many of the muggles around them. Much to formal and most definitely wealthy, but to those who _knew _how important the first of September was, took no heed to their attire, for it was normal to them.

Hermione smiled in nostalgia as she walked past the scuttling muggles, and the nervous looking eleven-year-olds trying to find their way with their parents right behind them. Hermione sighed in an almost longing. Did she want children? Yes. Did she want children with Draco?

She glanced up at the man beside her. His eyes were focused and hard. Would he be a good father to their children? Would he ever love her like a husband should love a wife?

Hermione shook her head and reprimanded herself for such thoughts. That's ludicrous. She shouldn't be thinking about this.

"We're here." Draco said, stopping right in front of a brick column, with numbers above it that read the numbers 10 and 9. Hermione beamed at the sight of it, and Draco had to crack a grin at the sight of his wife's happiness.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Hermione asked, pulling Draco with her towards the middle of the column, before being sucked in completely by the brick wall.

The sound of the train's whistle and the white smoke puffing out of its top brought mixed feelings to both Hermione and Draco. Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and pulled him to the train.

"It's been a while hasn't it, Draco?" She asked, looking at all the nervous looking little boys and girls waiting with their parents to board the train.

"Yes, it has." Draco replied. He didn't know what he felt. Happy? Scared? No, no, no, Malfoys were never scared. Slight uncomfortable with the present setting was more like it.

Before Hermione could say anything, something hit her from behind, causing her to stumble forward. Draco steadied her with his hand and turned to find a small red headed girl blushing furiously.

"I'm s-sorry." She stammered, gathering her belongings. Hermione's eyes widened at the sudden click in her head. As if someone flicked the on switch in her brain. Draco looked at Hermione's blank face and helped the little girl with her things.

"Watch where you're going next time, you could've gotten hurt." Draco said firmly, yet not unkindly. The girl nodded furiously. She looked up at Hermione and looked down.

"Sorry, ma'am." She apologized. Hermione seemed to have snapped out of her shock and shook her head.

"No need to apologize, it was an accident." Hermione said kindly, yet curiosity still etched on her face.

The girl smiled weakly and turned around to leave. Hermione looked at the retreating figure of the little girl, and then turned to Draco. "Call me crazy, Draco, but did that little girl seem…"

"MUMMY!" Hermione's head snapped to the right, giving her a minor whiplash in the process. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Green eyes met amber. Hermione froze, her hand tightened around Draco's.

_I knew it. Bloody hell, I just knew it. The red hair. The eyes. That girl had to be related to them. _

Hermione started to panic when they began their approach on them. She cast an alarmed glance at Draco, whose face was as impassive as ever. Her throat constricted as another wave of nausea hit her. Draco noticed her discomfort and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. She took a deep breath and held her head high, standing dutifully beside Draco.

"_Potter."_ Draco greeted, a hard expression on his face. Hermione was silent as the exchange happened. Harry nodded politely at the two of them. Being in different Auror departments, it was easy for Hermione to say that they haven't seen each other in a long time. Especially Ginny.

"_Malfoy._" Harry greeted back. He glanced at Hermione and his eyes softened. Hermione nodded her head in greeting, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"What would you two be doing here, if I may ask? I didn't know you had a child." Ginny said, her voice hard, and her eyes focused on Hermione, more than Draco. Draco furrowed his eyebrows.

"We don't. If you must know, McGonagall asked us a favor." Draco said. Hermione kept her head down.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Harry asked, his voice tense and cautious.

"To be the new Defense against the Dark Arts professors." Hermione blurted out before Draco could say anything else. Draco looked at her disapprovingly. Hermione threw him a sheepish look. Harry watched the exchange in mild interest and disgust before the new found information could sink in.

"Professors you say? What's your curriculum, Malfoy? How to fire an unforgivable?" Harry spat out. Draco gritted his teeth, squeezing Hermione's hand in the process. Hermione glanced at Draco in what Harry might've thought was a concerned glance.

"And you, _Mrs. Malfoy?_" Hermione's head snapped to Harry, whose eyes were hard and cold. Hermione felt her heart drop at the unfamiliar reference.

"I request for you not to insult my husband, Harry." Hermione said softly. She put a light hand on Draco's chest, as if wanting to push him away from Harry. Draco however held his ground.

"Having your wife defend you, Malfoy? Not much of a surprise, Death-eaters _are _cowards after all." Harry hissed. Ginny frowned, holding on to Harry's hand in restraint.

"Harry, not here." Ginny said. "No need to cause a scene. They aren't worth it." Harry growled at the couple in front of him. Draco's gaze burned as those words were uttered. _Those blasted Potters and their superiority complex. Little bloody hypocrites, that's what they are. Damned Potters._

Hermione looked at the now unfamiliar couple before her. She glanced up at Draco and then back at the couple.

"Come, Hermione. We'll miss the train." Draco said, keeping his eyes on the Potters. Hermione nodded. "Potter. Weaslette." Draco smirked and gave a rather mocking bow, before turning on his heel, and walking away. Hermione looked at his retreating figure in alarm and walked after him after casting a withering glance at Harry and Ginny.

Draco kept walking, while Hermione tried to keep up with his long strides. They reached the train, and entered a compartment. Draco was silent, as Hermione looked dolefully out the train window. Draco looked at Hermione and suddenly felt the urge to just scoop her up into his arms.

_Which I __**of course**__ wouldn't do. Not bloody likely. _

"Potters a git, if you ask me." Draco blurted, his eyes trained on the brunette in front of him. It rather surprised me that Weaslette even agreed to marry him to be honest." He added. Hermione would normally defend her 'friend' against her husband's verbal harassments, but right now, she had no energy to. She just smiled sadly, and resumed her staring out the window.

Draco fell silent once more, slightly put off by the response he got.

"I mean, what is up with his hair? Has he ever heard of a comb? I bet the bloody prick's too busy being a saint to possess such a comfort." Draco kept going. Hermione chuckled softly and patted the hand that rested on his knee.

"I'm alright, Draco, really." Hermione said. Draco only nodded, not knowing what more to say. He ran out of insults, and was happy Hermione stopped him.

Another lapse of silence.

"Thank-you though." Hermione murmured. Draco's head snapped up at the words. Hermione didn't look at him, but he saw a small trace of a smile lighting up her face.

"Your welcome." He uttered, before the train whistled, and set its tracks for Hogwarts.

**Okay, so I'm finished with Chapter 5! This is actually the chapter wherein… I stopped. So that means… I FINISHED EDITING! :O **** (Note my totally awesome surprised face.)**

**Yeah, that was supposed to be far more exciting… oh well. Suggestions on what happens next? **

**I'm nearly in the mood to start with the sixth chapter, so fingers-crossed that I get it finished by then. **

**It's the season to jolly, so I hope to have it finished before December ends. (Hopefully before or even on Christmas itself :)**

**Anyways, thank you guys so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it! Keep them coming! **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! **

**-Miss Serendipity**


	6. Hogwarts

Chapter 6- Hogwarts

The ride to the great Hogwarts castle passed on uneventfully. Draco noted that Hermione was much quieter (which was a feat he himself couldn't believe she triumphed.)

"I'm fine." She would say then turn her gaze back to the window.

They talk of things like the weather, their soon-to-be jobs, how noisy the children were (well, Draco did most of the complaining.), and trivial things like his robe color decisions, or whether they'd have complications with their baggage.

All in all, the ride was… polite. And that bothered Draco to no end. Sure, they were never as close, but he liked to think that they already passed that stage wherein they could talk like friends. He liked to think that she herself considered him her friend, if not husband.

And so, with this in mind, he walked right in front of her, minutes before they'd make their entrance in the Great Hall. (They'd be using the front door because Draco so adamantly wanted to check if their baggage was complete before going inside, resulting to their tardiness.)

"Granger, would you just tell me what's wrong? I'm you're bloody _husband _for Merlin's sake, and whether you like it or not, we're stuck together, so might as well unload to me before you blow up in front of somebody else who doesn't give a damn, because right now, _I do." _

Hermione was stunned to say the least.

"…_, so might as well unload to me before you blow up in front of somebody else who doesn't give a damn, because right now, I do." _

Did that mean that he cared for her?

_No bloody way, the man all but professed his undying care for her. _She thought sarcastically. Hermione's eyes softened and reached for his arm. She smiled, what she hoped to be, a reassuring smile, before gently guiding him to her side. It was time for them to make an entrance, and she didn't want them to be caught in a 'lovers spat'.

"I promise, I'll _unload_ later… That is, if you can hold out your concern till then." Hermione said, a small smile on her face. Draco was surprised for a while with her actions, but soon straightened his back and tucked her hand under his arm. He looked at her in what would have looked like an emotionless gaze, however she knew better.

"I'll always be concerned." He stated simply, averting his gaze. Hermione smiled subtly and straightened her shoulders.

"Even when I'm an annoying know-it-all?" She teased. Draco looked away, trying to bite back the smile that was making it's way to his face. Hermione smiled slightly and faced forward.

Let the show begin.

**(Insert Break-Line Here)**

"_It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I've read about it in Hogwarts: A History." _Hermione recited, walking into the Great Hall, Draco by her side.

"Of course, love." Draco answered in a bored manner. Hermione scowled at his insouciance, but quickly plastered a smile as they made there way to the staff table.

"We apologize for being late." Hermione said, looking at Draco pointedly. "Draco here is rather precise about our luggage." Draco gave his wife a frown. The feast now was obviously forgotten as hundreds of pairs of eyes watched them in interest. McGonagall rose from her seat and spread out her hands in welcome.

"Students, I would like to introduce all of you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. The Malfoys most graciously took the position, and I believe all of you are in good hands."

Hermione and Draco took a seat once McGonagall finished, Hermione smiling kindly at the students while Draco just nodded in acknowledgment.

"Now, continue with dinner." McGonagall dismissed their stares, and took her seat. She turned to the couple and smiled.

"I thank you both for coming. I'm sure you both will do well." McGonagall said, before returning to her food.

Dinner passed by uneventfully, the couple getting reacquainted with the rest of the staff, and catching up (mostly Hermione) with Hagrid, who was seated beside them.

"Fang's been doin' well, I tell ya'. Right ol' beast he is, all the same. Bu' nuff abou' me, how are things with you, Mione? Malfoy treatin' ya' righ'?" Hagrid asked amiably. Hermione laughed quietly, glad of the familiar company.

"Everything's been great Hagrid. I'm glad to be back." Hermione said. She glanced at Draco, who seemed rather distant, prodding his string beans with his fork. She excused herself from her conversation with Hagrid, who graciously complied, turning to Professor Trelawney to ask whether or not she thought it a good idea that Firenze change the lesson plan for the semester.

"Everything alright, Draco?" She asked, her brows furrowing. Draco looked up, as if snapped out from his reverie.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry." He mumbled. Hermione however didn't seem convinced. Draco loved string beans. Hermione's lips formed a thin line, but decided to dismiss the matter, not wanting to bother him in front of everyone.

'_After dinner.' _She stated in her head, as she went back to her meal, of course after telling Draco that he had to eat. Draco just sent her a strained grin, and began eating his supper.

Dinner soon ended, with McGonagall instructing the Prefects to lead their houses to the common rooms. She then turned to Draco and Hermione, and led them to their quarters.

"The password is _Serpens Scriptum. _You may change it if you wish." She said, and with a smile, she bid them goodnight, making her way to her office for some last minute paper work.

They entered their quarters, and looked around in content. It surely did fit Draco's ideal living space.

'_The color choice could have been better though.' _He mused in his mind, fingering the plush red couches.

"Well? Is it to his majesties liking?" Hermione teased, crossing her arms over her chest playfully, plopping herself on the couch facing him. Draco raised a brow, lips still set in a firm line as he looked around.

"It would have to do I suppose." He said. There was a beat of silence till he allowed a small smile to break through his face. Before he knew it, he was laughing along with Hermione on the couch. It had been so long since he could just laugh. No inhibitions. No barriers. No image he had to uphold. He could just be Draco.

They quieted down after a while, Hermione's feet curled up to her chest as she unconsciously leaned against Draco, feeling the fatigue catch up to her.

"It's good to be back… Isn't it, Draco?" She asked tiredly, eyes closed. Draco looked down at her tired form, his fingers carefully playing with her chocolate brown locks. He was quiet for a while, before nodding in agreement.

"Yes… Yes it is." He said. He gazed at the crackling fire, then back at the woman leaning against his chest. Today, he felt such protectivity over her. The rage that filled him when he saw her sadness overwhelmed him that he didn't know what to think.

'_She really is getting under my skin.' _He thought to himself. He gently touched her hand. No response. She was asleep. He smiled softly and hooked his arm under her legs and the other around her torso gently lifting her from the couch.

"Merlin's beard, Granger. You just had to fall asleep on me." Draco murmured, cracking his neck. He quietly placed her on the bed, transfiguring her clothes into a night gown. Hermione stretched in her sleep, blindly grappling for a pillow. Draco quickly retrieved one from his side, and placed it beside her. She grabbed the pillow and snuggled up to it, fast asleep.

Draco chuckled in amusement at how child-like and innocent she was when in slumber.

He quickly changed into his night clothes and padded silently towards the bed. He smiled at the sight of his wife, curls splayed over her face and pillow. He carefully tucked the stray curls behind her ear, before joining her in bed.

"Good-night, love." He whispered, before extinguishing the lights in the room.

Several beats of silence reigned.

"Good-night, Draco." Came a sleepy reply.

**(Insert Break-line Here)**

**AN: HEY GUYS! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy I finished this. Happy Valentines day! I know it's a day late, but… **

**Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It really meant a lot to me that you guys reviewed, and I hope you review more! It makes me happy, and gives me more motivation in my writing. **

**ANOTHER THING! **

**I have a forum in FictionPress. It's called Cravats and Corsets. It's a Romance RPG set in Regency England. I hope you guys go check it out. My FP account is 'Liquid Luck'. Yeah, like Felix Felicis. **

**So, thank you guys so much for your continuous support! **

**100+ reviews guys! :") Thank you so much! **

**With love**

**Miss Serendipity**


	7. Thunder Storm

Chapter 7- Thunder Storm

"_**HERMIONE GRANGER!**_"

"It's 'Malfoy' now, dearest." Hermione said calmly.

She chuckled softly, before sipping from her tea-cup. Today was there first teaching day, and she wanted to make sure they were up early.

_Too_ early for Draco's liking. The blond never really enjoyed the mornings. Mornings meant that his time of slumber had to be cut short, and if there was one thing Draco liked more than anything in the world, it was sleep. If he didn't get enough sleep, he's get cranky and irritating.

There was a silence. Then the sound of heavy footsteps thundering down the steps leading to their common room.

"Good-morning, Draco." Hermione greeted nonchalantly, not looking at the furious male in front of her.

"Why in the bloody hell did you wake me up at 5:30 in the bloody morning, have me think I was late for our first bloody class, resulting to me having the coldest, bloodiest shower, when in reality, class doesn't start in, hmm, I don't know, 4 _bloody_ hours!" Draco glared at his wife. "Please, _dear, _enlighten me." He sneered.

Hermione however looked up at him, amusement dancing in her eyes. He, though furious, was rather comical. His hair was still soaked, and his eyes were red and slightly crazed from being awake far earlier than originally planned. His clothes were creased, as if he was rushing to put them on. He only had one sock loosely encasing his foot , the other was no where to be seen.

Hermione however did feel bad. He carried her to bed, and was ridiculously nice to her since they got here. He deserved rest. But she was just so excited. She was so ready to educate and couldn't hold it in.

"Oh, stop being such a baby, Draco. Look, it's already 6 AM. That's only an hour away from the usual time you wake up." Hermione said cheerily. Draco however did not find this at all a comforting thought. He was silent for a while, his mouth gaping at her indignantly, not knowing what else to say.

"I will be a baby when I damn well want to be." He said, before stomping back up to get himself cleaned. Hermione laughed at this, and continued to sip from her cup. She smiled in content.

She was rather surprised to find herself in their room with Draco sleeping soundly next to her, his arms, as always, were wrapped around her in a protective hug. She enjoyed the fact that she was used to it. Draco did that unconsciously when he's asleep. Otherwise, he would just keep waking up. Hermione remembered the time when it was all still new to her.

She would violently tear herself away from his grasp, limbs flailing around as she screamed assault. Draco however, would just roll his eyes and go back to sleep.

It took her several weeks to get used to the feel of being in his arms. At least, till that night.

Hermione smiled at the sudden memory.

_Flashback_

_Hermione flinched, her knuckles turning white as she held onto the edge of the sink tightly. _

"_Granger?" A voice called from the other side of the bathroom door. "Granger, do you mind hurrying it up a bit? I'm in desperate need of my face wash." Hermione kept her eyes shut as another crackle of thunder hit. _

_She bit her tongue to stifle the yelp that threatened to spill from her lips. _

"_Granger? Granger!" She didn't reply. Another crack of thunder hit, causing Hermione to jump, running straight for the door, flinging it open. _

"_Granger, what are you-" Hermione didn't wait for him to finish his sentence, all but throwing herself to him, arms wrapping around his torso as she buried her head in his chest. Draco was shocked to say the least. _

_CRACK! _

_Hermione whimpered, her body shaking with fear. Draco's expression softened, as he awkwardly placed his hand around her. He slackened a bit as she relaxed, his head leaning forward to whisper comforting words into her hair. _

'_I didn't know Granger was afraid of thunderstorms.' He mused to himself. He stroked her hair slowly, waiting for her to calm down. _

"_I'm sorry, Draco." She said sheepishly. Draco nodded, and without a second thought, hooked his arm under her knees, and gently picked her up, keeping her head close to his chest, as if protecting her from the thunder and lightning just outside their window. Hermione made no sound of protest. She just held on tightly to Draco's shirt, her eyes clamped shut. _

_Draco laid her down on the bed, tucking her in, before turning around to leave. That is, until a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He stopped suddenly, slowly turning around, to find chocolate orbs staring back at him. _

"_Please, Draco." She asked meekly. "Please just stay with me." _

_Draco looked at her for a moment. Never had he seen her so vulnerable. He paused for a moment before moving to the other side of the bed, carefully slipping in beside her. She shifted closer to him, burying her head to his chest. He couldn't help the soft smile that made it's way to his chest. _

_He hesitated for a moment, before putting his arm around her waist. After several moments of silence, he relaxed. _

_Hermione slept peacefully that night, her first night of peace during a storm. _

_End of Flashback_

Hermione looked at her cup sadly. Her parents died during a thunderstorm. It was raining, and they went for a drive. Draco was the only one who knew of her fears.

She traced the rim of her cup in a daze.

"Granger?" Hermione snapped out of her daze and stood up, walking over to the bottom of the staircase.

"What now?" She asked. There was a pause.

"… Can you come up here? I don't know where my other sock is."

**(Insert Break-line here) **

Hermione strode alongside Draco on their way to their first class. They were teaching fourth year students, and, from what Hermione remembered, their first class was with Gryffindor and Slytherin.

_Brilliant. _

The walk to their class was quiet. Neither spoke a word. Hermione's brow furrowed in worry.

"What if they don't like me." She asked feebly. Draco looked at her, and noticed how insecure she looked. Hermione was never insecure, unless something absolutely affected her. Draco grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking any further.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" He asked, his face serious. Hermione rolled her eyes and extracted herself from his hold.

"I'm just nervous. You know, a good husband would say something along the lines of: 'Of course they'd love you, cupcake. You're just so bloody brilliant, who in merlin's name wouldn't love you.' Or something like that." Hermione joked. Draco nodded in mock-thought.

"Yes, I could say that, but that would be extremely uncharacteristic of me that you'd probably slap me silly." He paused. "Or punch me… I believe you punching me would be more likely than the former." Hermione chuckled.

"Probably." She conceded, before resuming her walk to their class. Draco followed.

"You never told me why you were so upset yesterday." Draco commented flippantly. Hermione looked at him with a smirk.

"Still concerned I see?" She teased. Draco scoffed.

"Hardly." He said. Hermione straightened her face and kept looking forward.

"It was nothing." She began. "Just seeing them again, I guess." She added quietly after. Draco didn't reply. Instead, he looked at her. He observed how tense her jaw was, and how here eyes were blank.

Hermione raised a hand to scratch her upper lip.

"You're going to cry." Draco stated. Hermione glared at him. "No I'm not." She argued. Draco shook his head, as if exasperated.

"You scratched your upper lip. You usually do that to stop yourself from crying. It never works though." He commented. She looked at him for a while, before looking forward once more. These were normal for them. Their conversations would just go around and around until there was nothing left to be said.

"We're here." He announced. Hermione stiffened, as they stood facing an old oak door. Hermione sucked in a deep breath.

"Ready, Draco?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, _dear._"

**AN: Yeah, that was short and rushed. School's killing me. :| OH! And for those of you who asked, I shall briefly explain to you about FP (FictionPress) and my forum. **

**So first off, FP is the sister site of FanFiction. It's where you can create your own stories that aren't based off anything that's already been created. I haven't written anything though, so don't expect much. ;-_-**

**My forum, Cravats and Corsets, is an RP (Role-playing) type of forum in which you can create your own character, and Role-play with other people. It's really fun. I actually do it here in a Harry Potter RP forum. **

**I highly recommend it. It's kind of like this fun writing-exercise. **

**To those interested, my pen-name is **_**LiquidLuck**_.

**Sorry if this was incredibly short, but I tried updating faster so… :P **

**Anyways, I'll edit this if you guys think it needed. **

**THANKS**

**Miss. Serendipity**


	8. Pun not intended

Chapter 8- Pun not intended

Hermione straightened her hat and shoulders. She turned towards Draco and hit his chest with the back of her hand, resulting to him straightening his back. He glared at her and turned forward, reaching for the door.

Hermione inhaled and plastered a small smile on her face before nodding to Draco. He gave her a small grin before opening the door.

Silence.

**(Insert Break-line)**

The students stilled at the sight of the their professors. Soon, the silence was replaced by murmurs and mutterings. Hermione raised a brow, her inner Malfoy kicking it's way to the surface.

"Please take your seats, students," She said, walking along-side Draco to their separate desks. The children obeyed and sat down, an obvious separation between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors.

Hermione took note of this in amusement, but decided against bringing it up… for now.

"Well, as you all know, I am Hermione Malfoy, and this is Draco Malfoy. We will be your Defense against the Dark Arts professors for this year." Hermione explained, flicking her wand to the chalk-board, having it chalk down their names.

A girl from Gryffindor raised her hand. Draco looked at her and nodded for her to speak.

"Professor, are you going to be our permanent teachers? Even after this year?" She asked. Draco smirked and shook his head.

"It is highly unlikely. Hermione and I will be returning to Auror duties after this year." There was a faint sound of awe that rippled across the room. Hermione chuckled and tapped the side of her wand against her palm idly.

"Now, as fourth-years, you will be introduced to things far more advanced than your common hex and counter-curse." She said.

"This year, we will be introducing you to the more… mature side of magic. You will be dueling, bewitching and learning defensive spells." He paused for a while and turned to Hermione with a smirk. Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"And lastly, one must be alert at all times because you'll never know when something might strike. Expelliarmus!" Draco exclaimed, whipping his wand out and aimed the spell to Hermione.

Hermione, however, quickly flicked her wand and deflected the spell, causing it to aim upwards towards the ceiling, disappearing in a flurry. Draco nodded his head approval.

"Well done, love. Even better than-"

"Stupefy!" Hermione called out, sending a stream of light out of her wand. Draco however waved his wand and had it fling to the door. Draco looked at Hermione's gleeful face and frowned. "_Constant Vigilance." _She quoted, smiling in nostalgia.

"Not funny. I nearly didn't catch that one." Draco said. The students however watched in awe. Draco strode up to Hermione's side and faced the students.

"Well, the dueling will have to wait. Now, who can tell me the difference between the Stunning Spell and the Disarming spell?"

**(Insert Break-line here)**

"Good-bye, Professor Malfoy." A student bid farewell to Hermione as she packed her things. She smiled at the passing student and continued.

Their lesson went well, and Hermione seemed content with the turn-out. Sure, there had been some minor mishaps when they practiced stunning, but it all just ended up being minor scrapes and bruises that Draco seemed to patch up well.

"And to think, we had a nut teaching us unforgivables at this age." Draco drawled, leaning against his desk. Hermione let out a soft chuckle and nodded in nostalgia.

"Mad-eye was a brilliant man. I'm sure, if we had him as our professor. The _real _Mad-eye, we would have had an amazing time." She said. Draco rolled his eyes and helped her carry her books.

"Come on, I believe we have to see McGonagall before our next class." He said. Hermione nodded and walked out of the classroom, Draco in tow.

"... Do you think we did alright?" Hermione asked. "I mean, it's our very first time as educators. The children's future is in our hands. I mean, what if we give off the impression that Defense Against the Dark Arts is an excuse to hurt someone. What if-" Draco quickly covered her mouth with his hand, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Merlin, Granger, you have _got _to calm down. It's not as if we've never handled children before. I'm sure we did all right." He said, removing his hand from her mouth. She glared at him and looked towards the door that was now in front of them.

"McGonagall's office… " She said, looking at the door. Draco raised a brow at her. Hermione's lips thinned and looked back in mild embarrassment.

"Well, did you expect me to be well acquainted with her office?" She asked. Draco chuckled and nodded.

"Quite frankly, yes. With you breaking the rules almost every year. It's a wonder that you were still top of the class." Hermione frowned and nudged Draco lightly on the chest.

"Oh, Ms. Granger, how lovely to see you again." A voice said gleefully. Hermione turned around and beamed.

"A pleasure to see you too Sir Nicholas. How are you?" Hermione asked pleasantly. Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Dismal, but I live with it. Pun not intended." He said with a shake of his head, which was wobbling precariously on his head. "You'd think the Baron would keep Peeves in order. Sad to say, he's far to busy with The Grey Lady to even try." The ghost said and shrugged. He then turned his attention to the man beside her.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Why, is that really Draco Malfoy?" He asked in astonishment. Draco frowned slightly.

"Yes, it is. Why the tone of surprise, Sir Nicholas?" He asked. Hermione just shook her head as the friendly ghost just laughed.

"Why, I thought I'd never see the day you two would actually be civil with one another. My, I must have missed quite a lot." He said. Hermione chuckled.

"More than you'd imagine." She said jokingly before looking up at the ghost with a smile. "Draco and I… Well, we're married now, Sir Nicholas." She explained. The ghost froze and raised a brow.

"Did you now?" He asked, his mouth slightly open.

"I'm surprised you didn't know. I assumed-"

"Oh yes, Ms. Gran- Erm… Malfoy." He paused for a while before shaking his head and chuckling lightly. "I was well informed, I just never believed it. Being a ghost does have it's good points and bad points. Them being the fact that people never enjoy staying to have a chat. Especially about current events." He huffed and floated upwards.

"Well, I'm incredibly happy for the both of you. Job well done, Mr. Malfoy, this girl's a keeper." Nearly Headless Nick commented with a wink. He waved at Hermione pleasantly before disappearing through the ceiling of the hall, with a fading farewell that echoed through the corridors before disappearing.

Hermione however chuckled at the ghost's attempt at being dramatic, for not long after, she heard a soft 'oof' that probably meant the old ghost ran into a crowd of students. She turned to Draco and smiled.

"Shall we?" She asked, before knocking on the door.

"Come in." Someone called from the inside. Hermione stepped in, however Draco didn't follow. She looked at him questioningly, her head slightly tilted in inquisition.

"Draco?" She asked. Draco looked at her, snapping out of his daze. "You alright?" She asked. Draco nodded his head.

"Yeah." He said and smiled. "Just thinking." He added before following her in the office.

"About what?" She asked. Draco waved it off.

"Nothing." He said. Though the look he gave her conveyed otherwise. He thought back on what Sir Nicholas told him before he floated off.

_This will probably be the only time I agree with that ghost. _

**AN: Okay, so I can explain. I've caught this increasingly horrible case of writer's block. I wrote all about it in my LJ. **www (dot) mightnotmaybe (dot) livejournal (dot) com. **This chapter was in my original version of 'Something There', but Draco and Hermione actually dueled. I took that out because I found it too… unrealistic. I don't know if this was more believable, but… **

**Anywho, there's another rewrite on the way. Nothing major, just a few adjustments. **

**Tell me what you guys think! I'm so grateful to everyone who reviewed and supported me! Thank you guys! **

**I shall start Chapter 9 now. **

**Love**

**Ren**


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